Bed Liner Roof? - Hi-Lo camper travel trailer forum

marininn · 01-11-2018, 10:34 AM

I tried some rubberized roof coating out of a gallon. It has not worked. The rain destroys it. I just don't have ideal weather.
Dicor RPMRC1.
I probably needed much warmer weather. Can says need to be over 50 and a few hours of direct sunlight, so I waited until I had that. It hit 61 with a few hrs of sun.
Rain the next day and the coating is trashed. I think it is still waterproof for now until it peels off, but it is bubbling in places and will come off just to the touch.
The first attempt worked longer, and only detached when I had a tarp over half the roof. The tarp was not 100% waterproof and got wet, got the roof wet, and damaged the coating. The part left uncovered was fine until I rubbed it aggressively down to bare metal.
I don't think I will have the 70 degree days that is ideal for application anytime soon.

Has anyone tried bed liner? A little pricier, but cheaper than the $575 membrane kits I read about, and bedliner is tough. But also meant for truck beds that don't flex.
bEdliner is supposed to be flexible.
I also need something that can go on around 50 degrees, as the longer I wait, the longer I risk water damage again…

Or, is there a good paint on coating that will work a few years?

Treeclimber · 01-11-2018, 03:13 PM

I can't really overcome your problem, but can offer what a fellow Hi Lo had to do. He used a good tarp and two POOL PILLOWS about the height of the A/C. Place one in front and one behind the A/C, cover with a good tarp, tie it down, (he used several 5 gal buckets of water and cement blocks) until the weather turned good. He felt it was better than letting the rain in. This is the same guy that went from a metal roof to rubber including new 3/8" marine plywood.
Tree

sam · 01-11-2018, 09:35 PM

This will hopefully get you by until the spring/summer when repairs can be done properly.

Jman · 01-12-2018, 07:50 PM

When I got my hilo all 4 corners had internal water damage. I used Gaco roof tape around the corners and the length of the sides. Then 2 coats of Gaco roof sealant. Not sure at what temp it works at but it is a 50 yr warranty.

Of course you will want to make sure the vents and skylights are not needing to be replaced. Once you use this it is permanent. It sealed up everything but you must use 2 coats..I spent $88 per gallon and used both gallons on my 17ft. funlight..

KnottyRig · 01-13-2018, 09:34 PM

Not to criticize, but I think you already answered your own question.

These roofing products have been in use for a while, on thousands of vehicles. If it’s not working for you, ya gotta ask why?

Sounds like you’re trying to make the square peg fit the round hole (something I tend to do a lot).

Follow the instructions, don’t cut ANY corners. Bet you’ll find it works.

marininn · 01-14-2018, 02:07 PM

My main question is paint on type Bed Liner being used on a roof. I have used it for other non-truck things, but it is runny, so would have to go down in super thin coats.

The rubber stuff seems, from reading more, that it last a couple of years and needs to be redone… bedliner is more permanent. Heck, I think latex house paint would out-perform this rubber coating.

JackandJanet · 01-14-2018, 02:37 PM

Marininn - I wonder if you used the right kind of coating?

First, do you have a rubber roof of an aluminum one? I somehow recalled you having an aluminum one with some galvanic corrosion. If so, you could coat that with an elastomeric roofing paint such as Kool Seal or Henry's (these are both available at home improvement stores such as Home Depot, Lowes or ACE. It is white in color and you would use two coats. I've applied it on roofs and on canvas - it works very well. The least expensive version has a 7-year warranty and the most expensive is 25 years as I recall.

A rubber roof needs a different coating, and I don't have the brand name for it. It's been talked about on the forum though.

Bed coating, such as Line-X or Rhino doesn't work on anything but metal. I have Line-X in the bed of my truck and it is super durable. It was professionally applied and cost about $500. The other brands don't have the reputation that Line-X has, but some of them are DIY. My big concern, however, is that they are BLACK in color (unless you pay more for the premium version of Line-X which can be colored). Black is a terrible color for the top of an RV in my opinion - it will increase the heat loading on the inside by a huge amount.

So, those are my thoughts on the subject. Hope you can find something that works.

- Jack

retiredcamper47 · 01-14-2018, 04:47 PM

I believe Kool Seal also makes a sealant for rubber roofs. Kool Seal is a tried and proven product.

Bob

marininn · 01-17-2018, 07:45 PM

aluminum roof.

I used something like Durabak paint-on bed liner in two camper shower stalls build of wood. The first was hard board, like dry marker board, where I put fiberglass on the seams, and after a decade the floor got worn out. It held up well until then. So I painted on a light gray colored bedliner on the floor and a few inches up. It looked great! I did not have the camper much longer.
Then I did the same, with another color, to a truck camper on the wood floor. Again, great results and I used it for that year before selling.
This is not thick like professional bed liners, not so much plastic either. more of a rubbery feel, and somewhat flexible.
But, I am not sure this is the way to go with a roof. I would have to experiment a little more with it first, yet do not have any to play with and dont think I want to invest in some for a try.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This stuff was expensive and you use a lot. It says one gallon for 60 sq ft.I used the quart for one shower stall, but laid it on thick and multiple coats. Wish I could see how it held up….